TICKETS are now on sale for this year’s Chalke Valley History Festival.

The seven-day festival from June 26 to July 2 is in the new location of Church Bottom in Broad Chalke, having moved from Ebbesbourne Wake.

New speakers to the festival include Chris Patten, Tim Rice, Al Murray, Andrew Marr, Harriet Harman, Richard Dannatt, Michael Buerk, Kenneth Baker, Bettany Hughes, Ken Clarke, Jenni Murray, Nichols Crane, Malcolm Rifkind, Michael Frayn, Matt Frei, Monty Don and Lyn MacDonald.

Festival favourites Dan Snow, Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, Don McCullin, John Julius Norwich, Tom Holland, Anna Whitelock, Michael Wood, Artemis Cooper, Charlie Higson, Ben Macintyre, Peter Frankopan, Claire Tomlin, David Owen, John Sessions, Peter Snow, Tracy Borman, Suzannah Lipscomb, Paddy Ashdown, Ben Kane, James Holland, Sam Willis, Conn Iggulden, and Alex Langlands are all returning speakers.

Veterans attending the event include two Knight’s Cross winners – Hugo Broch and Günter Halm - veteran of the entire Eastern Front campaign, Hans Schönfeld, French holocaust survivor Jacques Altmann, and Hitler’s godson, Niklas Frank.

The last surviving member of the Long Range Desert Group and then the SAS who fought through the Second World War in North Africa, Major Mike Sadler, will also speak as will World War Two fighter pilots Keith Quilter and Colin Bell, and former Lancaster bomber Rusty Waughman.

The festival will mark the 500th anniversary of The Reformation, 200 years since the death of Jane Austen, the 100th anniversary of The Russian Revolution, and the Battle of Passchendaele, and the 50th birthday of St Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Living history highlights include archery, sword school, a large Napoleonic encampment with infantry, artillery and mounted cavalry plus a horse-drawn First World War ambulance. Amongst the re-enactors attending will be Medieval knights, Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, Celts and Romans.

Dress Up Saturday will be returning on July 1 with a party night in the evening.

Air Displays will take place on both Saturday and Sunday, July 1-2, with the Battle of Britain veteran Hurricane R4118 and the P-51D Mustang both confirmed as well as Britain’s only flying Lancaster.

The Schools Festival programme is from Tuesday to Thursday, June 27- 29 for Years 6,7, and 8, and on Wednesday, June 28 for Years 10 and 12. Pop-up talks take place during the weekend.

For more details visit cvhf.org.uk or phone 01722 781133.